Lost Star
by Rahar Moonfire
Summary: He was the God of Nightmares. Until a more ancient darkness appeared and stole what he valued most, an act they both paid dearly for. Now he is practically mortal & alone. Except for a star that always twinkles at him. That star becomes his one constant, until it vanishes. Rumors of an ancient evil and a fallen star spread. Could it be his star? Could it be his Frost? RotG kinkmeme
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is AU obviously. Sandy, Pitch, and Manny are gods of a sort in this universe. I hoe you enjoy this prologue. I'm posting this on my AO3 and accounts as well. I'll post the links here in a comment when they're up. ^_^

* * *

**Prologue**

The night was quiet except for the occasional hoot of an owl in the distance as Pitchiner sat by the fire. The stars glittered high above, one specifically. It always amused him how that one star glittered and flickered so. It was almost as if it was trying to get his attention. If it was, it worked.

Every night Pitch saw that flickering star and smiled. It was always there. Always shining. It was the one constant in his life right now. Ever since his daughter had died, he had been lost. He consigned himself to be a Dark Huntsman, forever searching for his daughter. And forever hunting the monster that wiped all traces of his beloved little girl from his life.

It hadn't always been this way. He had once been a living nightmare. The God of Fear and Nightmares. The Nightmare King, scourge of the skies and destroyer of light. His Nightmare Men had served him loyally and his Fearlings had been free to wander the land. And then his wife died leaving behind his daughter, beautiful, innocent Seraphina.

With her birth, most of his bloodlust left him, and he grew complacent and nonaggressive, attacking only when provoked. His underlings had not necessarily enjoyed the situation, but they acknowledged his power and obeyed his wishes.

But there were things older and darker in this world then a fleet of nightmares. And this unknown darkness reared its head one day and took Seraphina from him. In a furious rage, the Nightmare King Pitch Black fought and forced the ancient darkness back, locked into a vault deep within the shadows. But the fight had cost him.

He was now mostly powerless, practically mortal. He was forced to feed on the fear of children and pilfering some of Sanderson's dreamsand to create Nightmares, lovely horses that followed him everywhere. But even they were not enough to relieve his loneliness.

It had been over one hundred years of slowly regaining his power, but he was still weak. And then he found that tiny, flickering ice blue star. At first, it was an annoyance. He never liked stars, they represented dreams and hopes and wishes. But this little star was different. He could swear the darn thing _followed_ him! If he didn't know better, he'd say the star had a crush on him. But it was a star.

A star he'd grown to adore. Especially during his years of solitude. It was always there, giving him hope, restoring his energy, and keeping the ever encroaching claws of darkness from sinking its claws into his heart. He'd come to rely on that tiny star, his little Frost. It shone brighter to him then even the moon.

The moon was full and exceptionally bright tonight, but clouds were moving in from the west. If he was right, then he would wake up to rain shower. That is, if he ever actually fell asleep. Recently, he'd grown accustomed to simply staying up late into the night and staring at that star.

That one star.

He'd even given the flickering light a name. Frost, because of it's gentle blue glow. It reminded him of silver light shining on the cloudy day reflecting off the snow and icicles. He'd always been fond of the cold, however strange that may seem. It reminded him of happier days.

But his reminiscing was distracted by a red glow from the horizon. It rippled and moved like aurora borealis, but had the intensity and threatening edge of a distant, raging fire. Standing to get a better look over the low bushes surrounding him, Pitchiner stared.

The light faded, then burst straight into the sky in a brilliant pillar of red that pierced the heavens. Never in all his years had the huntsman ever seen anything quite like this. Not even _remotely_ like this.

And the silence... There was no sound, no bang, no whooshing of air. Just a long, echoing, ear-shattering silence.

And then it was over. Pitchiner blinked in surprised, hand moving to grasp his sword waiting for some unknown threat to appear. But again, there was nothing. Just silence. Even the owl had fallen silent.

Eventually, the huntsman relaxed his stance. If something was going to attack, it would have done so already. But his senses still tingled. That phenomenon could not be natural. And this silence grated against his ears. It was so loud.

He sat back down and tended the fire, taking care not to knock the water filled pan sitting precariously close to the fire pit into the flames. It was only after he grew comfortable once more that he raised his eyes to the heavens again.

The star was gone.

Instantly, his heart stuttered to a stop and his eyes scoured the heavens for his little, flickering Frost. But to no avail. The tiny star was gone. Only a vast, empty blackness filled the place it had once filled.

At that moment, it felt like his world, which had been previously held together by haphazardly sewn stitches, finally tore apart and shattered. His star, his north star, his little flickering star, his Frost...was gone.

He was truly alone.

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**A/N:** I hope this was satisfactory. ^^;


	2. Ice and Warmth

**A/N:** Well, I can honestly say I'm impressed and glad so many people like this fic. ^_^ And yes, I am easily swayed by my lovely readers and followers. Here you go. ^_~

**Ice and Warmth**

**chapter 2**

The first thing he felt was cold. The second thing he felt was pain.

Cold he understood. He lived with it on a daily basis. The heavens were always cold. But pain... It burned him, froze him, stung him. He was terrified. What was this pain?

And why was this cold...cold?

He opened his eyes -eyes?- and saw...moving light. It flowed and ebbed and rippled. But light didn't move like that. It glowed, shone, flickered, and glimmered. This light was...wrong. It was bright and...golden...and...and...

His chest hurt. Pain. This pain. It wasn't right. What was happening. He felt heavy and light at the same time. And the pain in his chest was steadily increasing. It was a pressure, a heavy pressure pushing against his lungs.

He felt himself move -it felt slow, heavy- up towards the strange un-star-like light. A long, silver thing stretched out in front if him reaching up to the light before pulling down only to be replaced by another identical silver thing. As the silver things -clouds?- moved, he noticed the strangeun-star-like light grew closer and closer.

And then something stopped him. A cold, solid thing that touched the long silvery things -arms he realized, _his_ arms- and stopped their movements. He pushed at the cold, solid thing -ice- and it pushed back with equal force.

His chest hurt.

The cold burned. But cold isn't supposed to burn. Cold was supposed to be gentle, encompassing, and friendly. Frost.

...Frost?

The pressure on his lungs increased and he felt fear enter his heart. He pushed harder against the ice, but it didn't give. If anything it pushed back with strength equal to his own.

Something had to give.

The fear changed to terror. It wouldn't move. He couldn't get out. The pressure burned.

Something had to give.

It hurt. It wouldn't move. It burned.

Something had to give.

He gasped and something cold and liquid rushed down his throat. He gasped again trying to expel the unwelcome cold that rushed and burned and hurt. And still the ice refused to give. Sound rang in his ears -ears?- and still nothing move. He had to breathe. Air. He needed air!

His hands hit the ice as hard as they could between scratching at his throat trying to pull out the icy cold. But it was useless. The un-star-like light was fading. The dark that wasn't of the heavens was enclosing around him.

Something moved, blocking out the light. No. That light. It wasn't right but...he needed...he _needed_...

Frost.

There was a dull crash followed by a rush of cold and something caught him and dragged him up. And then the heavy, sluggish cold was gone. In its place was a light, airy cold that flowed around him like an old friend.

Somethings, hands his frozen mind provided, grasped and pulled at him, dragging him over the ice to a more solid cold. He rolled onto his side and coughed out the unwelcome, burning cold from his lungs. Slowly, ever so painfully slowly the pressure faded leaving him exhausted and shivering from exertion. The cold air whispered against his ears and caressed his skin, cradling him.

He opened his eyes and beheld...

"...a human?"

Then darkness.

* * *

A human? Of course he was a human. This was the human kingdom of Lamadary. The Fae rarely strayed far outside of their sanctuaries unless visiting the larger cities for trade and such. So why was this person so surprised he was a human?

Unless he wasn't human.

Quickly, Jamie rolled the stranger on his back and really looked him. Snowy hair, pale skin, and...pointed ears. No human then. But figuring out the stranger's lineage was could wait until he'd warmed up. Carefully, he pulled the unconscious stranger over his shoulder and began the trek down the mountainside to his camp.

His legs were aching when he finally made it to his home. It wasn't much, just a temporary hunting lodge that'd been passed down from his grandfather. It w old but well taken care of. But more importantly, it had a fireplace and a stockpile of blankets.

He quickly laid down his new friend on the bed and began stripping him. Honestly, he would've felt incredibly awkward about this but he was not about to let this person die, especially after already saving him once. But the fabric was heavy with icy water and just would not come off. If Jamie hadn't known better, he would have sworn the dress was connected to the stranger's skin.

Well, not dress exactly. That would imply the person was a woman, which he definitely wasn't...right? I mean, he didn't _look_ like a woman. But then again, he didn't look like a man either. He was androgynous almost. A fairly common trait for Fae, he'd heard.

It was said the Fae were beautiful to behold, both the men and the women. He'd heard his father once say at he accidentally thought he'd been talking to a woman for an entire conversation before realizing the Fae was male. And even then, he had to be explicitly told.

But that didn't explain the fabric. It was strong and light like spider silk, but gleamed a dull silver almost bluish in the right light. The Fae were more known for brilliant colors, feathers, and beads. This was just plain silk of some kind that clung to its wearer like a second skin. The long sleeves flared out like drowned lilies and the long skirt was sliced in two by long splits that climbed indecently high.

Well, it would have been indecent if the stranger wasn't wearing loose pants a silver only a shade or so lighter then the dress, robe, thing. Speaking of which, Jamie pushed back the silvery hood and began laying blankets over him. If he couldn't undress this...person, then he was going to keep him by other ways.

He stood to light a fire and prepared to cook some food for dinner. He was right in the middle of adding some potatoes to the hopefully tasty stew when he heard a moan and turned to the bed. The Fae had rolled over so he face away from the heat and had kicked the covers so they lay mostly off his, her..._his_ body.

Yeah, it was going to be an interesting night.


	3. Fallen Star

**Fallen Star**

It had only been a day or so since his little star had gone dark when Pitch found himself riding to the capital of Terra, Santoff Claussen. He typically avoided the place because of its close association with the Lunar Lamadary, but right now he had need of the Great Library. Hopefully, he could slip into the city without too much of a fuss.

It had been a while since he had made himself known and most people avoided his side of the Lamadary. The Nightmare King wasn't exactly a favorite of the populace, that honor was reserved for the Tsar Lunar. That was the way of things and normally this obvious favoritism did not bother Pitch as much. But now he cursed his lack of believers fueling his powers viciously.

If his little Frost had simply died, then...well, it would break his heart, but at least it could rest assured Pitch missed it. But if Frost had not died but instead fallen from the sky, then he would have to hurry. A fallen star was an assent many, both Human and Fae, would a considerable amount for. As long as a fallen Star has not been named, then they were open game. And their hunters were many. The only true safe place for an unclaimed Stars was the Lunar Lamadary, home of the first fallen star, Sanderson Mansnoozie, called Sandman by the wizardlings.

If Frost had indeed fallen to earth, then one way or another the Star would find its was to the Lamadary, drawn by the presence of other stars. But that's if the Star was not captured first.

He had to know what happen. And if anyone knew the fate of a star, it would be Sanderson. And Sanderson could usually be found in the Great Library.

* * *

It was the sound of the door creaking open that awakened Jamie. He carefully sat up and looked over his shoulder to where his guest should be sleeping. But the cot was empty. Immediately, Jamie was up and scanning the inside of the cabin before rushing out the front door. His voice died in his throat when he saw his guest standing still just out of reach from the doorway.

The Fae's hood was thrown back revealing feathery white locks that rustled in the gentle late winter breeze. The Fae's face was tilted back staring at the sky. Even from the back, he...er, she -he really had to figure out which pronoun to use- was beautiful in an almost unearthly way.

His hand released the cabin door which bumped the side of the cabin dully. Instantly, brilliant blue eyes, cold as ice and yet so soft, whipped around to stare fixedly on him. As much as it sounded like something a lovesick girl would say, time really did seem to stop for a moment.

Then the Fae blinked and returned their gaze to the sky. A hand reached slowly up as if to grasp the sun, a confused expression scrunching the Fae's beautiful features.

"Hey." The Fae turned back to Jamie's brown eyes curiously, a trace of fear only hinted in those crystal orbs. "My name's Jamie, Jamie Bennet. You were drowning and I pulled you out of the water. It's nice to meet you. You ok?"

The eyes blinked before returning to the sky in open confusion. "Where am I?"

It was so quiet, Jamie almost missed it. "You're in the Circinus Mountains."

"But where?"

"You mean what side? The inland side. Santoff Claussen is just a couple days ride south of here. Why? Do you need to be somewhere?"

"No."

Jamie blinked. "No what?"

"No. Nonono, where. Where? Where am I? Where is Tsar Lunanoff? Why is the sun so high? Why? Where? I don't understand. The light. That light. It burned. Does he know? Where is he? Why can't I see him? Why is the sky so high? Where am I? Is this...is this...earth?"

Jamie listened to the constant stream of broken, confused whispers spill from the Fae's mouth. The _male_ Fae's mouth. That was definitely a male's voice. Young given, but still distinctly male. Unnerved, he moved closer and placed a gentle hand on the young Fae's shoulder.

The reaction was instantaneous. The whispers ceased and the boy's body stiffened as terrified blue eyes spun to stare at the Human. Then pale hands were gripping Jamie's clothes tightly and blueish lips parted once more. "Where is he? Please. I must warn him. He must know. I need to tell him. Where is he? Please! Tell me!"

Jamie covered the Fae's cool hands with his warm ones and overrode the boy's frantic please with his own loud voice. "Who? Easy. Easy! Who? Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help?"

"Him! He's always there. Always talks to me. Always-"

"_Who_?"

"Kozmotis!"

Jamie thought hard. Where had heard that name before? He could swear he knew it, but he could not for the life of him figure out why. Instead he settled for trying to calm the steadily panicking Fae in front of him. "I don't know where he is. I'm sorry."

"I have to find him," the boy insisted. "He needs to know. He needs to be warned. They're coming."

"Who? Who's coming? Can you tell me?"

"I...I..." Confusion settled on the Fae's pale features. Honestly, he looked like he was just solid snow and ice given life. His previously frantic voice quieted to a confused whisper, "I don't remember."

Jamie sighed and rolled his eyes discretely. Great. Just what he needed. A paranoid amnesiac Fae. Well, first things first. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll remember whatever it was you wanted to tell this Kozmotis guy. In the mean time, you hungry? I've got some food back inside. You interested?"

The Fae youth once again looked confused. "Food?"

"Yes," Jamie nodded. He had to be patient with this boy. Theoor guy was recovering from drowning in a frozen lake, after all. Althou that brings to mind, how did the boy manage to stay underwater long enough for the ice to freeze as thick as it had and not drown beforehand? It didn't make any sense.

His stomach growl interrupted his train of thought drawing the surprised attention of the pale boy. The Fae stared incredulously at Jamie's stomach before looking up at the sound of a throat being cleared. "Well, food. Yes? Yes. Ok. This way."

He turned and waited to be sure the youth was following him. After one last confused, longing gaze at the sky, the boy came.

"By the way," Jamie called back casually, "you got a name? Or the name of the Fae clan you're from? You can probably find the embassy for most of the larger Fae clans in Santoff Claussen. I could take you there if you're interested. I've always wanted to go there. I hear it's-"

"I'm not Fae."

Jamie stopped. "Okay then, what are you? If you don't mind me asking."

The not-Fae met his gaze steadily and replied in the voice that sounded almost surprised Jamie hadn't known his race immediately. "I'm a Star."

"...what?"

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**A/N:** FYI, none of this is betaed. So let me know if you catch any errors. Otherwise, sorry for the delay. My Finals Week is next week so I plan to update more regularly after that.


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